


afterwards, and beyond

by tauri



Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16065203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tauri/pseuds/tauri
Summary: Following the fall of Team Flare, Malva arranges a meeting.





	afterwards, and beyond

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANURA SANURA HAPPY BIRTHDAY AAAAAAAAAA YOU INSPIRE ME TO GET MORE TEAM FLARE SCIENTISTS CONTENT OUT INTO THE WORLD ☆

 

Malva wondered how long it would take for things to feel _normal -_ it was possible, she supposed, that there would always be some part of her that would be _living for the plan_ and _waiting for the call--_

The fall of Team Flare had neatly sealed off that part of her, though. She felt some satisfaction for the extent to which she'd been able to keep her separate lives apart - for all intents and purposes, that aspect of her life was, essentially, over. Those who knew her in her other walks of life, ideally, would not notice the difference. She'd smile at the people at the office, as she ever had; articles and broadcasts about Team Flare had already dwindled, even in the comparatively short amount of time that had already passed. (She would vet each source thoroughly; most ongoing reports were related to the aftermath - the ongoing recovery of Geosenge, the fall of Lysandre Labs as a financial prospect, _those sorts of things._ No source seemed suspect, and no source implicated her; _the most important thing_.)  If the League suspected anything, they gave no indication of that - indeed, there, too, life went on as normal. Her power has a Pokémon trainer had never diminished, and she would still take on any trainer looking to challenge the Elite Four. What else mattered, other than that?

She gazed out of the plane's window, idly looking over the land below; _it wouldn't be long, now_. Even so, she still wondered if this was a good idea. If anything, any suggestion in her mind tried to impress the fact that it wasn't - and yet, she could hardly help herself regardless. To an extent, this surprised her; she had thought, _beforehand_ , that she'd always be willing to cut off her connections at a moment's notice if things were to get too close for comfort - she'd always _thought_ that, but knew that, perhaps, she'd been too immersed in _the plan_ to seriously think that she'd ever have to. She'd had things set in place in the event of its failure, of course, but they weren't _going_ to fail, so she'd never need to _actually_ follow through on those plans...!

With a sigh, she supposed she appreciated the past version of herself that had entertained those ideas, even as some far-fetched unlikely 'just in case' scenario. That resourceful nature is why Lysandre had taken her on in the first place, surely? It came in useful. Because of that, she was able to live as she ever had, _despite everything._ Because of that, she could allow the fickle nature of the news-consuming public to gently erode Team Flare's relevance, and nobody would ever think to question her involvement. Why would they? Nobody would know to connect her there in the first place. She had her excuses, too, for if she was ever implicated; it hadn't come to that yet, but she kept those thoughts in mind, _just in case._ Always, always, _just in case._

What part of that, exactly, led her to being plane-bound to Johto for a very particular kind of meeting, she couldn't quite be sure. Even as the plane approached land, there was still the rational part of her mind that thought _why would I do this? Why am I doing this?_ And yet, the question was like no question at all; she was doing it because she couldn't not; there was little other reason for it. This wasn't some decision made on a whim, either - the preparation to get to this point in the first place had been, at the very least, not inconsequential. It would have been easier, Malva knew, to not bother with this at all - but couldn't that have been said of so many things? _And yet, we still try_.

From the outside, the intent was to make this look like any other business trip; levels of security were set up for that, and then more by Malva's own machinations aside. Those around her who were used to her trips - and her business - might have thought that that was too much, but as far as she was concerned, there was no such thing. There was more at stake than they could know or realize, and Malva was quite happy to keep it that way.

 

\----

 

For all of the increased buzz around Cianwood City following the completion of its Safari Zone, Malva still found the area to be suitably quiet - _or perhaps that's just in comparison to Kalos._ Quiet enough, at least, that she was able to hire out a restaurant space with little difficulty (or perhaps the money had helped). An enclosed space on the edge of Johto, hours and hundreds of miles away from anybody who might have cause to suspect. The sea air outside had felt bracing, and the inside of the restaurant felt pleasantly rustic. Again, were it just for a normal business meeting, it might have seemed a bit much, but in this case--

Malva looked up on hearing voices - noisy, chatting, without a care in the world. As they approached and entered the main room, she stood up from her chair, and motioned towards the set table.

"I'm glad you could make it. I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

The four (former) Team Flare scientists, now contained in the room, seemed generally happy to see Malva there, in front of them. Malva found herself surprised at how moved she felt by the sight - something she hadn't prepared for. In a moment, it was like nothing had ever changed - Aliana trying to make some point, even as they'd come through the door, Bryony trying to counter and supplement that both at once, Celosia hanging off of Mable's arm. They wore civilian clothes now, though - _as they are, I suppose,_ Malva thought. As far as anybody would know, these were just four normal women. Four somewhat outlandish rather eccentric women, but for the most part, _normal_.

Bryony was first to speak as they sat themselves at the table, looking around the room as she spoke. "You really did this for us, hm?"

Malva gave a courteous smile, shaking her head. "It's nothing, really. Like this, it's simply easier for us to talk, don't you think? Rather than being surrounded by... the rabble."

Celosia leant her head against one hand, "You don't change, do you? Even here like this, you're still like _this._ "

"I like my space, that's all."

"And fancy food."

"What's the point in anything that isn't the best? I'd say that I think we deserve it, honestly."

Once more, Malva was surprised at how easy it was to settle into the groove of a group setting. She would always have been cagey on answering the question of whether she really had _friends_ , because to confide in anybody to that level seemed like far too much to ask - but the time she'd spent working alongside those scientists, she realized, had been _pleasant_. She'd enjoyed their company. They'd worked and trained alongside one another, growing the company and growing as Pokémon trainers - growing as _people_ , even. For them to be gathered as they were represented a great risk, and Malva knew that, but also - there was something precious in being able to see them all again, too. Seeing their dynamic, being in the midst of their conversation. All of the things that had _happened_ were at the forefront of each of their minds; they were all on the same page, and needed little prompting for context.

"... I suppose I don't get an answer as to how you were able to escape?"

Mable folded her arms with a satisfied grin, "That's our secret! We're here now, aren't we? So that's all that matters."

"I can't deny that, certainly."

With the group now focused on _that topic_ , Aliana's expression clouded slightly. "That guy got out too, right?"

Malva's own encounters with Xerosic had told her all she'd needed to know of _his_ fate; whether the four in front of her knew the details, though, she wondered. On the one hand, that had been a matter for the International Police - but on the other, Malva _knew_ these four, and knew that their skills were practically incomparable. If they wanted to know something, even without the backing of Team Flare, she was confident they'd be able to get whatever it was that they wanted.

"He made the mistake of making himself too obvious. He got out, but as for his whereabouts now... well, that's out of our hands."

"So he's not going to be turning up here?"

"Do you think he'd have wanted to be invited?" (That statement caused a laugh.) "I don't think this is really his sort of atmosphere."

"Like a cockroach, that one. Always good at surviving. If he got out, do you think--..." Bryony started that statement, but seemed to think better of it in almost the same moment. The other four had been paying attention to her, her dropped sentence leaving a silence across the group. Again, even without her voicing the entire thought, the question she'd been going to ask seemed, to all of them, quite obvious. For the answer, they all looked towards Malva, who busied herself by stirring her drink.

"Your guess is as good as mine. If anything else, you were closer to the action than I was, so maybe I should be asking you...!" She leant back in her chair. "I don't know. I would suspect... well, I have my own suspicions. Restoration of Geosenge has been going on for quite some time, but the task is a big one. I have to admit, other than reporting on the matter, I've kept my distance of the situation."

"... Yeah. I don't blame you."

"I'm sure there are people there we could ask if we wanted confirmation, but I suspect that that matter, too, may be one shrouded in secrecy. Of course, we have our ways of discovering things, what is there in the world that needs to be secret from _us_? But, to strictly wonder if _he_ got out... I wonder. If he did... I would think, maybe, that even we wouldn't know about it. ...That's what I think, anyway."

Celosia sighed, slightly frustrated. "He wouldn't even tell you? I'd think for sure that he'd tell you."

"Gosh, you do flatter me. Well, that's a nice thought. I would suspect that anybody related to the previous circumstance would represent failure, in his mind - if he was still out there, with some sort of a plan, I think that plan would be one crafted beyond our knowledge. That's assuming that he's out there to plan in the first place, of course." There was a moment of quiet reflection between the five of them before Malva tapped her fingers against the table, expression brightening. "I think the thing we can take away from that is, whatever happens, it's nothing to do with any of us anymore. Right? So we don't have to worry about it...! You all seem to be doing well, it'd seem?"

Aliana smiled, netting her fingers. "We were prepared. If everything had worked out, that would have been great! But it doesn't pay to not be prepared. Right? We could have just vanished into the organization, but it was worth maintaining identities otherwise. I mean, I know I don't want to be asked about that big gap on my resume, you know?"

Malva knew that she didn't know _that much_ about what those four got up to when they weren't being scientists for Team Flare - at the time, that had been their sole focus, and beyond that... she just hadn't followed the thread. She could have looked them up in a moment, she knew, but there had also been a part of her that had been reluctant, also. Part of her that hadn't wanted to look them up in case something had _happened_ ; the period of time following Xerosic's arrest had been particularly stressful. Any one of them, she knew, had the knowledge and ability to sell out the rest of them at any moment. Lysandre had been of noble goals, for all that had got him, but to bestow _trust_ on anybody else in Team Flare seemed like too much power to give somebody. They knew of each other through necessity, and that was dangerous enough - and yet, it seemed that whatever had become of Xerosic, whatever he'd said, nothing had come up to implicate any of those who had worked around him. In light of that, Malva almost felt bad for her part in his arrest - _almost_. If he had just kept himself to himself, then none of that would have--... _but that's all in the past, now._

Xerosic aside, it seemed like they had all gone on much as Malva had; back to whatever their lives had been before Team Flare, slotting themselves back into a comfortable life in which the only secret kept was that _this had not always been the case_. Malva knew their skills, and knew that any one of them would benefit whichever organization was fortunate enough to take them on. Team Flare was no more, but its technology and assets had been split amongst those who held less notoriety than Lysandre had, in his days leading up to the Geosenge incident. They had, after all, been working for the betterment of humanity - just that that ideal had meant something a little different to them than it had meant to most other people. The technology was still useful, the knowledge behind it still strong. It was better for most of the world not to know they had had any involvement with Lysandre Labs to begin with, but Malva felt confident that their strengths would take them far regardless. And they could meet like this, eating and drinking as if they were simply a straightforward group of friends, and that, Malva felt, was completely fine.

"You don't think you'd... pick up where _he_ left off, then...?" Again, it was Bryony who asked this question, speaking as she concentrated on cutting the food on her plate, as if to distract from the enormity of what that question really _meant_. Malva felt it, however; they all did.

"... I think his views were quite unique. He had a lot more going on, I guess. All those, you know, noble justifications for everything... I liked his ideas, but probably for different reasons. It's the same for all of you, isn't it? We all had our reasons for being there. I'm not saying it would be impossible, just... maybe he was a bit more determined to be absolute. He had that single-minded passion, I suppose. I've got other things to worry about...! Being a, you know, _significant public figure_ , and everything. All those hats I'm wearing. It'd be nice, but I'm a busy woman. Or do any of you feel like heading up an organization by yourselves?"

Mable shrugged, looking thoughtful. "Maybe if it was the five of us."

"Maybe. ...I think it's probably better for everyone if we just lay low, though. Personally, I think it's enough of a miracle that we can sit here today like this to begin with. No use tempting fate further." _Unless you feel like ending up like Xerosic._ "That's a nice idea, though. The five of us, heading up something... well, maybe that's something to consider."

 

\----

 

To get the five of them in one place had taken some logistical planning; they _could_ have just hired out one of the many spaces in Lumiose City, but anywhere there had felt, to Malva at least, like it was too close to home. By going as further afield as another region, and hiring out a space that she'd personally vetted and planted security for herself, the hope was that the risk could be greatly minimized. They'd arrived separately, they'd leave separately. Perhaps those four would go back to being friends in their normal everyday lives; whatever they did was no concern of hers.

Bryony was the last to leave, the others having been ferried to their scheduled taxis and flights; there was no real rush, but it didn't hurt to stagger out their journeys.

"... It was nice to see you again, Malva."

"Same to you. And the rest of you."

"I suppose... we won't see you again after this?"

"You don't watch my news reports? My, I'm quite offended."

"No, I mean--... like _this_. You set this all up, and of course I was ready the moment you asked me, but... it's risky, isn't it? To do something like this."

"Of course. I mean, if we were going to be strict about it, wouldn't it be better for all four of you to keep yourselves to yourselves? And yet, I don't think that's something I could ask of you. We all hold that secret, wherever it is we end up. If they take us down, they take us down together... I suppose. We could meet, and nobody would suspect a thing - or they might, in which case we might find ourselves in some sort of trouble. Ideally, I would like to avoid trouble, at least for the immediate future."

"Right." Bryony gave a gentle smile. "But maybe the four of us will make a name for ourselves enough that nobody would suspect us. Do something so amazing that you've got to report on us. Then we could meet up and have meals together and nobody would bat an eyelid... don't you think?"

"That's one way of going about it." (As they spoke, the taxi approached.) "Whatever that amazing thing is, I'll be waiting for it. Don't forget, it takes a lot to impress me...!"

"I think we know that more than anybody else!" Bryony made to open the door of the taxi, but halted for a moment before getting into the vehicle. "We'll meet again. Definitely."

Malva stood there for a short time after the taxi departed, thinking on those words. Even if it was something so small as being able to see each other again, completely casually, there had still been that level of determination in Bryony's eyes. If they were to all work together for something, even for such a comparatively mundane reason, Malva was sure they'd be able to achieve it.

"That'd be nice, wouldn't it? Something _amazing._...I'll look forward to it, then."

 


End file.
